Don't kick the bucket fulfilling your list

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Climb every mountain? Actually don’t. I blame Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman to some extent for popularizing the “Bucket List” phenomenon.

A man who spent his life performing Search and Rescue missions alerted me about another movie coming out based on a young woman’s survival in the wilderness.

With the buzz about the bucket list and fulfilling all dreams before death, many people are, well, kicking the bucket.

Our desire to connect with nature, and at times conquer it, also lends too often to tragedy.

Just this week an American businessman tried to scale Mont Blanc with his with his 11-year-old-daughter and 9-year-old son. He wanted to beat a world record that is held by another 11-year-old. His son could have made that happen. His son could have also died, which he nearly did. This father-of-the year rolled video as his offspring were caught in an avalanche in the “Corridor of Death.” The video is posted on YouTube. They survived. They plan to try again. His son is ready to give it another shot before he is too old to beat the record.

Hundreds have died attempting to climb Mount Everest. In recent years, lack of preparation has been the main reason.

On Wednesday, my daughter Miranda told me about people who are taking “extreme selfies.” In other words, there are people so voracious with vanity, they are climbing statues and monuments harming historical areas and injuring, even killing themselves for a photo.

I have some advice for those folks. Instead of damaging irreplaceable relics and possibly killing themselves, consider buying a Photoshop program.

Also, do live your life to the fullest. Challenge your boundaries. See the world, but respect its treasures. Learn, research, train and follow that old Boy Scout motto – be prepared.

“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.” — E.B. White